Portable printing and developing dark cabinet



M/FlNK Aug. 23, 1938'.

PORTABLE PRINTING AND DEVELOPING DARK CABINET Filed April 1, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Mar/v1: [7771* ATTORNEY a 7 1 M 2 f w 6 66 m flm J %J4 2% J 2 4 M M i K m ,M

M. FlNK ORTABLE PRINTING AND DEVELOPING DARK CABINET Filed April 1, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR fifor/vs Fm? ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 21?, 19 38 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE PORTABLE rnm'rme AND DEVELOPING DARK CABINET Fink, New York, N. r. Applicati on April 1, 1938, Serial No. 199,359

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved portable printing and developing dark box or cabinet.

The principal object of the invention centers about .the provision of a portable dark box or cabinet used for photographic printing and developing which embodies an exceedingly simple structure and which is capable of rapid and facile handlingand use by the operator for carrying out the loading, printing and developing steps in quick succession. s To the accomplishment of this principal objection, the invention pertains more specifically -(1) to an improved portable cabinet constructed and designed so as to provide a' single compartment where the loading, printing and developing steps or stages of the photographic process are carried out in 'quick succession by manual manipulation within the cabinet compartment and without requiring the operators hands to be withdrawn from the compartment at any time during the photographic process, (2) to an improved portable cabinet of this character constructed and designed so that the interior may be fully exposed to external light and the operators view when the same is being prepared for use, and (3) to a portable dark box or cabinet embodying these functional characteristics having a structure which is very simple, and which may accordingly bemade and marketed at a very low figure.

The structure of the portable cabinet of the invention is shownin the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the portable cabinet with a part broken away to better disclose the interior thereof andshowing the same when prepared for photographic use;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view thereof (with a part broken away) and showing the use of the graphic process; g

Fig. 3 is a similar perspective view thereof and.

showing the use of the same during the developing stage of the photographic process; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified construction thereof adaptable for printing and developing both small and large positives;

, Fig. 5 is a reduced view of the'cabinet of Fig. 1, taken in cross-section in the plane of the line 55 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a reduced view of the modified form of the cabinet shown in Fig. 4 and taken in crosssection in the plane of the line 6-6 of Fig. 4; and Fig. '7 is a perspective view of the print holder .55 employed. V.

same during the. printing stage of the photo- Referring now more in detail to the drawings, and having reference first to Figs. 1 to 3, 5 and '1 thereof, the portable dark cabinet of the invention comprises an elongated box generally desig: nated as It made of wood, metal or a suitable plastic and having the top wall l2, the bottom wall I4, the front wall Iii and the rear wall l8 joined together and leaving, the completely open ends 20 and 22. The top wall i2 is provided with a sight-opening 24 located centrally thereof and the rear wall I8 is provided with an exposureopening 26 also located centrally thereof. The opposite end edges of the, cabinet walls are finished by having secured thereto the marginal strips 28 and 3!) which form encircling flanges for receiving elastic bound edges 32' and 34 of the flexible sleeves or armlets 36 and 38 (see Figs. 2 and 3) with a light-proof seal. The top wall .l2 maybe prc'ivided with the marginal ribbing 40 encircling the sight-opening 24 therein for supporting the sides of a collapsible eye shield (not shown). 4

The interior of the dark cabinet is provided with closures for the sight-opening 24 and the exposure-opening 25 which are so supported therein that they may be manually manipulated from within the cabinet to open and close the said sightand exposure-openings'and the interior of the dark cabinet is further provided with a.

support for a print holder, all to the end that all of the manipulations may be carried out manually from within the cabinet to perform in rapid succession the loading, printing and developing steps. For the sight-opening 24 there is provided a suitably colored (red or ruby) transparent closure in'the form of a slide 42 which is slidable in the guiding rails 44 between the open position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings and the closed position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. For the exposure-opening 26, there is provided a slide 46 having spaced colored (red or ruby) and clear transparent sections 48 and 50, respectively, which slide is movably supported in the guiderails 52 and is movable between the position shown in Fig. 1 and that shown inFig. 3 of the drawings. Movable abutments 54 are provided at the ends of one of the guide rails 52 to serve as stops for positioning the slide 46 in both of said operated positions, the said abutments being movable to permit withdrawal of the slide from the cabinet whenever necessary. The support or mount for the print holder is located next adjacent the closure slide 46 and this comprises the rails 58 abutting the slide-supporting rails 52, the said rails 56 slidably receiving and supporting therein a print holder 58. The print holder 58, best shown in Fig. '7 of the drawings, consists of two sheets of glass 58 and 58 hinged together with adhesive tape in book fashion and adapted to support therebetween the negative 60 and the photographic print paper 62 as most clearly shown in Fig. 7.

The portable cabinet is also suitably provided with means for supporting the trays used for developing. To this end, the bottom wall 14 is provided with the stay strips 64, 84 for locating and holding imposition the two trays B6 and 68 ,carrying the developer and fixing solutions.

These trays filled with these solutions may at certain of the stages of the photographic process be covered with a glass sheet "M (see Figs. 2; and 3).

With this exceedingly simple construction, the dark box may be prepared for use with the interior oi the cabinet fully exposed to external light and the operators view, and the successive steps of loading, printing and developing may be carried out by manual manipulation within the cabinet and without requiring the operator's hands to be withdrawn at any time from the cabinet compartment.

Fig 1 of the drawings shows the condition. of the cabinet when the same is being prepared for use. The opposite ends 2!] and 22 of the cabinet are completely open and the top sight-open ing 24 and rear exposure-b ooming 2B are lmcov ered, permitting the interior of the cabinet to be flooded with light and permitting the same to be exposed to the operators view from substantial 1y all sighting directions. This enables all of the parts to be readily assembled as illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. After assembling the parts as shown in Fig. l, the trays 56 and 58 may be covered by the glass sheet 10 and the print holder 58 containing the negative is then lowered through the sight-opening 24 through which may be also lowered an envelope containing blank sheets of sensitized paper. The arm lets or sleevelets 38 and 38 may then be afllxed to the cabinet ends. The operator then inserts his hands through these sleevelets, the device being now ready for the successive loading, printing and developing steps.

For loading, the slide closures 42 and I6 are moved by the operator's hands to the closed positions shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The interior of the cabinet is new dark, being closed to all light except the red light filtering through the slides 42 and 48. This transmitted light is suificient to enable the operator to observe the manipulations through the sight-opening 42. The operator then loads the print holder 58 with a sheet of the sensitized paper 62 and the said holder is slid into position in the guide rails 56, 56 therefor. The device is thus ready for the next and printing operation. The operator, without removing his hands, moves the slide 46 from the position shown in Fig. 3 to the position shown in Fig. 2, permitting the external light to ponetrate the clear glass section 50 thereof to the print holder 58, the operator holding the slide 46 in this position for the required exposure time and then returning the slide to the position shown in Fig. 3 with the ruby or red colored section 48 of the slide again closing the exposure-opening 26. The exposure or printing operation being thus completed, the operator, (without removing his hands from the cabinet compartment), withdraws the now printed paper 62 from the print holder and immerses the same drawings is designed to permit printing of bothfirst in the developing bath of the tray 66 and thereafter in the fixing bath of the tray 63 (this step of the process being shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings), the covering glass sheet 10 being either in the position shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings or being moved if desired to the rear of the cabinet. All of the operations being then completed, the armlets 36 and 38 may be removed; and all of the parts may be suitably boxed or stored in the cabinet compartment.

The modification shown in Figs. 4 and 6 of the small and large size positives. In this modification, the well lit (corresponding to the rear wall #8 of Fig. l) provided with a drop door l2 suitably hinged at it at the bottom of this wall, this drop door extending substantially the full length of the Comet it. This drop door is provided centrally with the eicposlu e-opening 26 controlled by a slide closure t5 similar in construction to the slide closure it, the said slide closure 4E6 being, however, movably supported in guiding rails it, it, attached interiorly to the slide door 72 so that the slide door 72 and closure. #6 may be moved together to the elevated or closed position and the dropped or opened position (see particularly 6). t adjacentthe door "12!, the interior of the c binet is provided with the guiding rails lit, also extending substantially the length of the cabinet ill and these guide rails movably support therein print holder till substantially similar in construction to the print holder but having a longer dimension, the length of which may be made substantially equal to the length of the cabinet it. The remaining parts of the cabi' net Ml are similar in structure to parts of the cabinet Hi and are designated by similar and primed reference characters.

With this modified construction of Figs. 4 and 6 of the drawings, small size positives may be printed and developed in the same manner as described for the cabinet of Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings, and large size positives may be printed and developed'by opening and closing the drop door 12 for the printing step instead of sliding the closure 46' thereon. This slide door may be manipulatable from the outside if desired, but preferably means (not shown) are provided to open and close the same from the inside of the cabinet.

The use and operation of the portable photographic dark cabinet of the present invention and the many advantages thereof will," in the main, be fully apparent from the above-detailed description thereof. It will be further apparent that changes may be made in the structure without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A portable printing and developing dark cabinet comprising an elongated box having top, bottom, front and rear walls joined together and leaving completely open ends, a sight-opening in the top wall, an exp'osure opening in the rear wall, a suitably colored transparent closure mounted'interiorly at said top wall'and movable manually from within the cabinet to open and close. said sight-opening, a suitably colored transparent closure mounted interiorly at said rear wall and movable manually from within the cabinet to open and close said exposure opening, a mount at said rear wall next adjacent said closure thereat for movably supporting a print holder, the said bottom wall being adapted to removably receive developer trays between said print holder mount and the front wall oi the box, and flexible light-proof armlets removably mounted on said box walls at the opposite ends thereof to uncover and to close the said open ends of the cabinet box.

2. A portable printing and developing dark cabinet comprising an elongated box having top,

, bottom, front and rear walls Joined together porting a print holder, the said bottom wall being adapted to removably receive developer trays between said print holder mount and the front wall 01 the box, and flexible light-proof armlets removably mounted on-said box walls at the opposite ends thereof to uncover and to close the said open ends of the cabinet box,

3. A portable-printing and developing dark cabinet comm'lsins an elongated'box having top, bottom. front and rear walls joined together and leaving open ends, a sight-opening in the top wall, an exposure opening in the rear wall,

a colored transparent slide 'mounted in guide.

rails interiorly on said top wall and movable manually from within the cabinet to open and close said sight-opening. a slide having colored and clear transparent sections mounted lute-.-

riorly at said rear wall in guide rails extending substantially the length of said box, said slide also being movable manually from within the cabinet to open and close said exposure opening, movable abutments for said slide at the ends of said last mentioned guide rails, a mount next adjacent to said exposure slide for movably supporting a print holder, the said bottom wall being adapted to removably receive developer trays between said print holder mount and the front wall of the box, and flexible light-proof armlets removably mounted on said box walls at the opposite ends thereof to uncover and to close the said open ends of the cabinet box.

4. A portable printing and developing dark cabinet comprising an elongated box having top, bottom,- front and rear walls joined together and leaving completely open ends, a sight-opening in the top wall, a door in said'rear wall, an exposureopening in said door, a colored transparent closure mounted interior-1y at said topporting a print holder, the said bottom wall being adapted to removably receive developer trays between said pri'nt' holder mount and the front wall of the box. .and flexible light-proof armlets removably' mounted on said box walls at the opposite ends thereof to uncover and to close the said open ends of the cabinet box.

MORRIS max. 

